Guillen: We have rules in regards to alcohol

May 05, 2007|BY MARK GONZALES

ANAHEIM — One of White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen's topics in his annual spring training meeting with his players is warning them about the perils of drinking and driving.

It's a major reason Guillen was upset that his name was mentioned in a recent story involving the alcohol-related death of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock, based on Guillen's irritation last September after A's general manager Billy Beane banned beer from the McAfee Coliseum clubhouses.

"I take care of my clubhouse," Guillen said Friday. "We have rules. When we fly, [the last] hour we're not drinking on the plane. When we're on the road, we're not driving."

Guillen said he respected Beane's decision and said the Sox banned alcohol in their clubhouse under former GM Larry Himes when Guillen played.

"Unfortunately, my name is always brought up for no reason, and it's not fair for people to read in papers that I was against that," Guillen said.

Guillen said his players are told be responsible.

"Most of the people should know when to do it and how to do it," said Guillen, who emphasized that Hancock's death occurred several hours after he had left the clubhouse. "Don't blame the clubhouse, don't blame baseball, don't blame (Commissioner) Bud Selig, don't blame (St. Louis GM) Walt Jocketty, don't blame (Cardinals manager) Tony La Russa.

"Don't blame any of those guys. Just blame the people who don't have common sense or do stuff they're not supposed to do."

Fish story

The Sox's postgame spread included a 150-pound thresher shark caught Thursday by former major-league pitcher Mike Lincoln. A.J. Pierzynski was on the fishing boat with Lincoln off the Point Loma coast, and Pierzynski nearly caught a shark that weighed at least 300 pounds, witnesses confirmed.